CPR Adds Diversity Statement to DRS Nomination Letter

to Further Promote Diversity in Neutrals

July 18, 2018

New York – The International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution (CPR), a global non-profit organization that advances dispute prevention and resolution practices and provides high quality dispute resolution services and neutrals, announced that it is taking a further step toward promoting diversity in alternative dispute resolution (ADR) by adding a statement in the nomination letter that is sent, by CPR’s Dispute Resolution Services (DRS) team, along with the slate of prospective neutrals for parties’ consideration. This follows CPR’s recently announced Young Lawyer Rule that was recently added to the revised Rules for Non-Administered Arbitration of Domestic and International Disputes.

The Diversity Statement states:

“CPR is committed to increasing diversity and inclusion in the dispute resolution field. Women and minorities continue to be underrepresented as neutrals, although robust evidence demonstrates that diversity improves group decision-making. While considering candidates, CPR encourages you to remain cognizant of the role that implicit bias can play in the selection process and to consider the value of diversity and the role that your selection plays in furthering inclusion in the dispute resolution community. Members of CPR's Panels of Distinguished Neutrals undergo a rigorous vetting process and comprise those among the most respected and elite mediators and arbitrators in the world.”

In a recent New York Law Journal article “Making Diversity Happen,” Noah Hanft, President and CEO of CPR wrote, “ADR organizations must utilize our very best efforts to put those diverse candidates on slates; remind decision-makers of the benefits of diversity on the quality of the decision-making process; and then actively encourage the selection of diverse candidates.”

“Step by collective step, even small steps at a time, we can make real headway on this important issue,” Hanft added. “CPR will never stop striving in this regard, but we are seeing strong progress. For the 2017 fiscal year, for example, the selection rate was 23 percent for women and people of color, 19 percent of which was for women. Although we recognize that there is more work to do, particularly in terms of ethnic diversity, we are delighted that the 2018 fiscal year numbers show continuous improvement, with a 31 percent total diverse selection rate, 27 percent of which was for woman. These selection rates are significantly higher than the percent of women on CPR’s panel of neutrals, which is currently 17%.”

“There is a line from the movie, Field of Dreams: ‘If you build it, they will come,’” noted Helena Tavares Erickson, Senior Vice President of Dispute Resolution Services. “CPR does more than simply dream about diversity in ADR; we are committed on a day-to-day basis to ensuring that qualified people from diverse backgrounds are nominated for cases, and we can see the impact of that unfolding in real time.”

About CPR: CPR is an independent nonprofit organization that has helped global businesses prevent and resolve commercial disputes effectively and efficiently for more than 40 years. Our membership consists of top corporations and law firms, academic and government institutions, and leading mediators and arbitrators around the world. CPR is unique as: (1) a thought leader, driving a global dispute resolution culture; (2) a developer of cutting edge tools and resources, powered by the collective innovation of its membership; and (3) an ADR provider offering innovative, practical arbitration rules, mediation and other dispute resolution procedures, and neutrals worldwide. For more information, please visit www.cpradr.org.